[Zardoz]

Well, after all, we're going to need the latest and greatest of every type of military hardware we can come up with to fight all those resource wars we're going to get into over the next few decades, so this is probably a good investment:

Jet fighter costs to hit $1 trillion

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he cost of buying and operating a new fleet of jet fighters for the U.S. military is nearing $1 trillion, according to a congressional audit that found the program dogged by delays, manufacturing inefficiencies and price increases.

Released Tuesday, the report from the Government Accountability Office offers a sobering assessment of the ambitious effort to deliver a modern series of aircraft known as the F-35 Lightning II to the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

Tasked by Congress to conduct an annual assessment of the program, the GAO said costs have gone up by $23 billion since last year alone.

Close to $300 billion is needed to acquire 2,458 aircraft for the three services and another $650 billion will be needed to operate and maintain the fighters that are expected to be flying well into the 21st century, the report says.

[Plantagenet]

Great story about F-35 boondoggle.

PS: Have you been travelling, Zardoz?

Haven't seen your smiling icon lately.....

[AirlinePilot]

That is one bad ass airplane though. They are putting either a laser or Particle beam type weapon on a few versions of this for short range engagements. That is cool.

[Plantagenet]

I always liked the A-10s. Cheap, rugged, built with duplicate control cables... armored and slow close-support tank-killers. This one survived a sortie over Baghdad and held together long enough to get back to base.



They used to be flown at Eilison Air Force base here in Alaska.

[Angry_Chimp]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AirlinePilot', ' ')They are putting either a laser or Particle beam type weapon on a few versions of this for short range engagements. That is cool.

[heroineworshipper]

The F-35 is mainly being bought by foreign countries in the hopes that they'll give us a mercy killing.

[smallpoxgirl]

Yeah. In case anyone missed that, that's $3000 per American Citizen. Sure makes me happy to be filling out my tax forms. How about you?

[emersonbiggins]

Maybe we could put a couple of missile launchers on this for a trillion bucks, so at least we could get some decent mass transit out of the equation.

[roccman]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AirlinePilot', 'T')hat is one bad ass airplane though. They are putting either a laser or Particle beam type weapon on a few versions of this for short range engagements. That is cool.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('roccman', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AirlinePilot', 'T')hat is one bad ass airplane though. They are putting either a laser or Particle beam type weapon on a few versions of this for short range engagements. That is cool.

[AirlinePilot]

Well, the reality is that within a very short period of time we will need a replacement for the F-16. This is it.

That airframe is getting very old and we are using them up at a fairly rapid pace due to ops tempo. I do agree that spending this kind of money is probably not prudent. We would probably do just fine building fresh current gen aircraft for the foreseeable future.

Also, China is becoming a possible future adversary and it will be necessary to have a very capable arsenal which acts as a force multiplier. This aircraft, the F-22, and the next gen long range stealth bomber will foot the bill.

I'm wondering how the hell we are going to pay for it though once the FED finishes up its fun and games and we are in the next great depression.

[AirlinePilot]

A few links Shanny....

Most of the development I have read about concerns lasers but I did see an article in Aviation Week a few months back talking about particle beam/directed energy weapons also.

Very cool stuff!

laser stuff F-35

More....F-35 laser possibilities

another link

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AirlinePilot', 'W')ell, the reality is that within a very short period of time we will need a replacement for the F-16.

[Tyler_JC]

Couldn't we just build a gigantic laser wall or missile shield to protect the country for a TRILLION dollars?

It seems to me like we could have spent this money more efficiently.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Shannymara', 'W')hy, I'm just thrilled to write those checks every quarter.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Shannymara', 'Y')ou must go through a lot of antiemetics, then. I'm sorry.

[jasonraymondson]

I don't pay my taxes

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('roccman', '.')..it is an utter and complete waste of money.

[TheDude]

Thought this was going to be about a trillion dollar airplane! All platinum body or something.

Laser shield? How are we going to bomb bomb bomb Iran with that?

I've been wondering about the effect the US nuclear weapons arsenal might have on shipments of oil. Not hard to picture some rather heavy handed backroom dealings. We have more than enough bombs to turn all of OPEC into the proverbial sheet of glass, after all.

Assuming the POTUS cares about the US motorist, of course.

[AWPrime]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'C')ouldn't we just build a gigantic laser wall or missile shield to protect the country for a TRILLION dollars?